Monday, March 23, 2015

Apple and apricot stuffed sweet buns

This was a challenge my my husband. He had these delicious rolls on a work trip, and he wished me to try to recreate them. In some ways I found my attempt better, but in certain ways it definitely failed. The apple flavor in the original rolls was concentrated, suggesting that they used a dehydrator, not this osmotic water extraction method. Alas, I do not own a dehydrator, and I'm lazy to try to dehydrate slowly in the oven. This worked well enough, and the addition of the apricot "jammy bits" by King Arthur Flour improved the rolls.

Preparation
Bloom the yeast with 1 tsp honey and the water in the bowl of a Kitchenaid mixer. Add the dough hook and mix in the warm milk, egg yolk, vanilla and remaining honey. Add the flour and the salt.

Knead dough for 5 minutes, slowly adding in the chunks of butter. Allow to double in size in a warm oven, covered with plastic foil.

Meanwhile, dice the apples and sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent browning. Add the sugar to dehydrate them. Squeeze them out after they sat for an hour and mix with cinnamon.

Cut the dough into eigth pieces. Roll out each and fill with one sixth of the apples and 0.5 tbsp jammy bits. Seal and place seam-side-down into a well-buttered muffin shape. Allow to rise for 30 minutes in a warm place.

Preheat oven to 350F. Brush rolls with egg white and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on a cookie rack.